HVDC link from Utah to California to supply low-carbon, reliable electricity to one of the United States’ largest energy markets
Intermountain Power Project (IPP) power transmission link between Utah and the Los Angeles area of California will increase system reliability and efficiency and improve the availability of power to customers in the region.
The link is operated by Intermountain Power Agency (IPA) and will help meeting demand for power in the region and to shift toward more sustainable energy sources.
Hitachi Energy will supply two high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter stations to replace the existing HVDC converter stations first built by Hitachi Energy in 1986. The new stations will be built in parallel to the existing system, allowing the continued transmission of electricity throughout the project and minimizing downtime.
Today, Intermountain Power Project (IPP) transmits up to 2,400 megawatts (MW) of electricity over 785 km (488 miles) from Delta, Utah to Adelanto, California.
1986
Original rated power was 1,600 MW at ±500 kV DC. The link was upgraded to 1,920 MW and then was recently upgraded again to 2,400 MW. Each pole has a 1,200 MW continuous and 1,600 MW short term overload capacity, to minimize impact on the power system in the event of a pole outage.
The receiving station in Adelanto is located in a seismically active area, so suspended thyristor valves are used to achieve maximum security. Hitachi Energy’s redundant converter control system was developed to meet stringent reliability requirements, and has since become Hitachi Energy's standard for HVDC in every project.
Hitachi Energy had complete turnkey responsibility for the converter stations, which were commissioned in April 1986.
2011
In 2011, Hitachi Energy made an additional upgrade, which included delivery of the MACH control system, additional AC filters and cooling system in order to reach a transmission capacity of 2,400 MW, to help LADWP expand input of renewable generation.
The upgrade demonstrated how an existing HVDC link designed mainly for bulk power transfer can be successfully converted to handle large amounts of volatile renewable wind power generation. It also showed how to utilize all inherent overload capability in such systems in order to increase the rating of a 25 year old HVDC link by 25 percent.
The control and valve cooling upgrade was done one pole at a time in just a few weeks, with minimal loss of transfer capability.
| Main data | |
|---|---|
| Commissioning year: | 2027; upgrade 2010; 1986 |
| Configuration: | Bipole |
| Power rating: | 2,400 MW |
| Direct voltage: | ±500 kV |
| Application: | Connecting remote generation; Upgrade |